


Perpetual Warmth

by angelhums



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-25 14:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/954246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelhums/pseuds/angelhums
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The way Michael Jones breezed into Gavin Free's life reminded the young Brit of a flash flood. Or a hard bonk on the head. Either way, both were surprising and often painful. Yet, Michael was gone before Gavin could register exactly how deep underwater he was, or how much his head hurt. But Michael was gone so fast it gave Gavin whiplash, and he was in water up to his neck with a pounding headache and a broken heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perpetual Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally my first fanfic by myself, I hope it's okay? Yeah.

Gavin doesn't expect Michael to stroll right into his morning lecture and sit down right beside him. Cinematography isn't a popular major at the university Gavin attends, but many people minor in it. Gavin is correct when the boy flips open a composition notebook with the words **Film and Shit -- Minor** scrawled across the cover in handwriting that was so illegible that Gavin has to spend a few moments trying to decipher what they actually says.  
"Gah, I don't wanna be here, you know?" comes the voice beside him, and Gavin is just floored by the way the words roll off the other male's tongue. "But they wanted me to minor in something. To fall back on, kinda?" Gavin can only nod slightly, trying to be distracted with his pencils and his textbook.  
"What about you? Do you even speak English?" The sound of the auburn haired one's voice growing a bit defensive nearly makes him fall out of his seat.  
"I think... I'm into slow motion bits, so that's why I majored."  
" _Major?_ Jesus Christ, dude."  
Gavin falls silent, and so does the boy.

Their next interactions are two weeks later, after Gavin goes to his friend, known matchmaker Barbara Dunkleman.  
"I think... I need to find someone, you know?" Gavin leans against the blonde, who only nods thoughtfully, a shit-eating grin slowly forming over her face.  
"I'm pretty sure I know who you want, Gav."  
"Is it a girl this time, though?"  
"No promises." The shorter of the two bumps him on the nose with her fingertip and goes skipping off, Gavin left dazed and worried by her words.

"Just... stay here, alright? Don't move. Your blind date will be here in five, ten minutes tops. Just don't move. Love is _patient_ , Gavin," Barbara seems to be a nervous wreck, which is new to Gav. "I even told him the table that you're at. As long as you don't... move."  
Starbucks is the least probable place to find your soulmate. Gavin is left alone by Barbara to glance around at the families with young children, the girls Instagramming their cups of whatever the hell with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

  
Gavin is checking his phone when the auburn haired boy from earlier sits down promptly in the seat across from him, eyeing him suspiciously. "Hey, asshole, did you eat my date?"  
Gavin bursts out laughing, setting down the phone and shaking his head. "You must be Michael, then."  
Michael wrinkles his nose in disgust, before nodding slightly. "You say my name fucking weird, man. It's Michael."  
"That's what I said."  
"If you say so, Gavvy Wavvy." He doesn't notice when Gavin's cheeks grew redder than Mars and he ducks his head to hide his timid grin in the sleeve of his shirt.  
"So what do you like to do, then, Michael?" Gavin tilts his head at the boy in front of him. He downright intrigues him, and he wants to pick apart pieces of Michael's existence until he knows absolutely everything important to him.  
Michael throws a smirk his way. "Not hang out with cocksuckers like you. Hey, don't look so low, Gavvy, we're both cocksuckers."  
Gavin grins, puffing out his chest as he responds to Michael's little comment. "I went to the most prestigious school in Britain. Cocksucker academy."  
"Shut the fuck up, Gavin."

So Gavin's first date with the boy with the dark copper hair goes in that direction, oddly, as they sip their fancy drinks that are excellently caffeinated. They part when Michael kisses Gavin on the forehead and they share shy -- on Gavin's part -- grins before heading off in two different directions. Michael lives in a small apartment down the street, and Gavin resides in a dorm a few blocks over. Gavin is putting the key in the door when his phone buzzes. He tosses the empty cup into the trash bin in the corner, glancing at his roommate, Ray, who is sprawled out on his stomach, snoring unpleasantly. He isn't wearing a shirt. Ray's close friend Joel is curled up on his side, one hand resting territorially on his wallet. Gavin didn't wanna ask.  
Gavin settles down on his bed, bringing up the little text icon and reading it cautiously.  
[10:32pm] Micoo;; wake the FUCK up, asshole  
Gavin giggles softly under his breath, crawling beneath his blankets to respond. "I wasn't sleeping, Michael," he texts in return. "It's top that you're awake, though."  
[10:37pm] Micoo;; I cant believe you know barbara. ive been trying to shake that bitch since preschool you motherfucker

The texts fly by, and before Gavin knows it, it's one thirty in the morning. He sends Michael a goodnight text with a row of Xs and eventually falls asleep. At 5am, he opens one bleary eye to witness Ray and Joel sharing a quick kiss before Ray shuts the door in his face.  
"Fun times?" Gavin giggles up at his friend. Ray just throws his own glasses at Gavin, and he clumsily catches the pair, tossing them on the floor. Ray just mutters something under his breath as Gavin closes his eyes, sleep and thoughts of Michael overtaking him.

The next day is Sunday. Neither Gavin or Michael have classes then, so after a few bantering texts, they agree to meet at the quad to just talk.  
Gavin practically flies out the door then, but Ray makes him sit down and eat some toaster strudel and black coffee before letting him go.  
"Michael's gonna worry!" Gavin complains, stuffing the breakfast into his mouth and sending him a glare. "You should know, out of anyone, what it feels like to be ultimately obsessed with someone!"  
"Shut the hell up, Gav. You gotta eat sometime." Ray seems intensely interested in texting someone. Joel, probably.  
"I will! Later, after I see Michael."  
"Ugh, you miserable little cocksucker."

  
Gavin settles down on the bright green grass, his head falling into Michael's lap. "You just fell on my studying, you nerd," Michael grins down at him, planting a kiss softly on the tip of his nose. Gavin giggles up at him.  
"How'd you sleep, you moron?" Michael seems intensely interested in running his fingers through the younger's hair. "Good, 'cause I was thinking of you, you doughnut."  
Michael seems to find the remark absolutely hilarious as he presses his lips against the Brit's. Gavin kisses back in somewhat tentatively, his hands finding Michael's hair as he sits up slowly. Michael tastes like Mountain Dew and potato chips, and a hint of something else. After a taste, Gavin practically yearns for more.

Two months later, they first have sex.  
Gavin doesn't know who offers it up first, but before he knows it, their sweaty bodies are sliding together with a fever, and Gavin is eagerly crying out Michael's name, his head thrown back and his nails digging into the freckled skin of his back.  
"I know, baby, I know." Michael's voice practically screams _cum already_ , and Gavin does, all over his own stomach. Michael follows soon after and collapses beside him, disposing of the condom in a lazy manner.  
Gavin curls up at Michael's side, the boy in question's fingers softly tracing patterns on the younger one's upper arm.  
"I love you, my little Michael."  
"I love you too, Gavin."

Two months after that, Gavin waits for Michael to arrive. Ray's made a plate of cookies, their first Christmas together, what a surprise? Except Michael is three hours late, and Joel's already fallen asleep, his feet in Ray's lap.  
"I don't think he's coming, bro," Ray remarks, handing Gavin his present. Gavin unwraps it, and inside two pendants sit. "For you and your boyfriend, I wanted you two to be matching."  
One pendant is green, it's a creeper face. The other is a minecraft diamond. The diamond one is obviously for Michael, and Gavin strokes it lightly with his finger.  
20 minutes later, the lights get turned off. And ten minutes after that, Gavin ends up falling asleep at the table.

A soft snort, and Gavin is awoken by Michael fiddling with his hair. He didn't sit up, though, just enjoying the feel of him there. He's glad that Michael finally has shown up, and he wants to know why he is so late. So he sits up, and the feeling goes away. Surprised, Gavin glances around. No Michael. Just Joel and Ray, intertwined in sleep on Ray's bed. Confusion floods him, but he soon falls asleep again, his head thunking onto the table.

The next time Gavin wakes up, he could hear Ray whispering intently into Gav's phone. He reaches for it tiredly, and the boy throws him a panicky glance, shaking his head.  
The small tv in the corner is on, and Joel is watching it. The volume is on almost silent, and Gavin nudges past Joel to look.  
"Student Michael Vincent Jones, from University of Texas at Austin, was discovered de--"  
Joel turns the tv off, and Gavin slowly turns to face Ray, who looks horrified.  
"He... No. no, no, no."  
"I'm so sorry, Gavin."

The next four days are horrid. Gavin doesn't go to classes, or anything like that. He just sits, and cries in his dorm. Ray and Joel leave him alone. The grief wracking Gavin's body is too much to handle, and he pops an aspirin once an hour. The pain has to go away, right? Sometime the pain has to go away. Gavin can't see land on the horizon, though, as he lies on the ocean floor. Guilt crushes his chest and he has to remind himself to breathe every so often. It's so, so awful. But the pain intensifies when Ray asks him a single question.  
"Do you want to go to the funeral, Gavin? A few of his friends called, they're inviting you. You don't have to say anything."  
Gavin only nods.

The suit is tight, uncomfortable, and Gavin loathes it. He loathes a lot of people in the crowded church that Michael would've scoffed at. One person he doesn't loathe, is Geoff, who sits next to him. He also doesn't loathe Barbara, who just... cries. The whole time, her face pressed into her tissue. Her bubbly expression is replaced by depression, and Gavin just turns to Geoff.  
"How long..." Geoff asks jerkingly.  
"Five months," Gavin answers hollowly. The heavily tattooed man beside him only nods, swallowing hard.  
When Gavin walks achingly up to the casket, the boy amongst the velvet and flowers doesn't look real. He lightly runs his fingers through the hair that looks soft but is actually wiry. He puts the pendant around Michael's neck, only relaxing when it's just above his collarbone comfortably. "Thank you, my little Michael." Michael looks so peaceful. He could be sleeping. Gavin knows he's not, and that hurts even worse. He leaves the casket, sobbing.

Afterwards, Gavin, Barbara, and Geoff sit back to back, passing beer around. Gavin notices that Geoff keeps taking two sips instead of one. He doesn't say anything, though. Barbara still cries, her sobbing not ceasing over the past three hours.  
"Hey, Gavin?" Geoff asks croakily.  
"Yes?" the Brit asks cautiously, and Barbara hiccups.  
"You loved him, didn't you?"  
"Yeah, Geoff... I-I... I did."


End file.
